HC continues stay on PTU distance edu courses

The Delhi high court said on Wednesday that the restriction on Punjab Technical University (PTU) on admitting students under its distance education programme courses would continue.

A bench of chief justice D Murugesan and justice VK Jain, however, refused to pass any further order in the case till the opposite party appears before it, and fixed the matter for further hearing on March 11.

On January 22, the high court had restrained PTU from admitting students in its distance education programme courses till Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) accords approval on the issue for the current academic year.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Tilak Singh, a resident of Delhi, alleging that the university was inviting applications despite the fact that its plea for extension for running the distance education programme courses was pending with IGNOU.

"Vide communication dated October 12, 2012, the Distance Education Council (of IGNOU) has also directed PTU not to admit any student till the application for extension/approval of recognition is pending. In spite of the above communication, it appears that the university in question has published advertisement... calling for applications of students.

Now, in our opinion, in the absence of any recognition or approval, the university cannot make any admission and that too when the it has been specifically told by the council concerned that students should not be admitted," the court had said.